Government FORCED to respond to homeless military veterans by Homes for Heroes campaign

Government FORCED to respond to homeless military veterans by Homes for Heroes campaign

EXPRESS.CO.UK's campaign to get our military veterans priority housing and mental health care had its first victory today, as the sheer number of petition signatures forced the Government to look into the "epidemic" of veteran homelessness.

The Government issued a lengthy response to our petition to review the Armed Forces and Community Covenant, which already has 23,000 signatures, showing that the volume of public support for the Homes for Heroes campaign is making Downing Street stand up and take notice.

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Thousands of patriotic people who believe Britain owes its military veterans a home and medical care when they come back from the front line have signed the petition – thanks to your efforts the Government is finally taking notice.

If it reaches 100,000 the Armed Forces and Community Covenant could be debated in parliament.

But the Department of Communities and Local Government, which penned the response, has been strongly criticised for some of its content.

Its statement said: "In 2012 we changed the law so that seriously injured and disabled Service personnel and former members of the Armed Forces with urgent housing needs are always given high priority for social housing."

But an Express.co.uk investigation revealed a veteran in Bolton has finished top of two housing waiting lists and never received a home, despite him suffering two serious bouts of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Cait Smith-Wilson, who runs the Bolton Armed Forces Centre For Veterans, said: "How can the DCLG say veterans ALWAYS have high priority. It's total rubbish."They are coming first in housing waiting lists and not getting a property.

"A councillor openly asked a veteran once: 'What, do you expect to just have priority or something?' They're not giving any preference to veterans with regard to social housing."

MIKE HOOKEM MEP

Veteran AB can't get a house despite "having priority" and chronic PTSD

The DCLG says it is "investing £30 million in projects to help people at risk of sleeping rough, new to the streets or with the most complex needs" – but we can now reveal much of that funding went to totally unrelated things like horse riding clubs, a gardening project, a drama programme and even a wealthy school's donation to a town council's festival event.

Instead of giving the money to homeless veterans, the DCLG awarded £110,000 to a "woodland renewal project" applied for by the Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust.

It gave £5,000 to the British Embassy in Doha, Qatar, to host three unspecified events.

The Wellington College Academy Trust, owned by Wellington College - an exclusive boarding school where parents pay £12,370 a term – was awarded £17,251 to host an event at the Ludgershall and Tidworth town festival.

Veterans gather to remember D-day

A further £20,000 was granted to create a skate park, which is unlikely to benefit the housing needs of an elderly veteran.

Mrs Smith-Wilson added: "Have you ever seen an elderly veteran on a skateboard? This money needs to go directly to housing projects and mental health schemes, not these totally unrelated things."

The Government's response to the petition, which is receiving hundreds of signatures every day, only gives priority to service personnel or their surviving partners "for 24 months after service".

But PTSD can take more than a decade to emerge and the disastrous impact it can have on a veteran's life often leads to homelessness – but the Government would no longer be giving them priority.

MIKE HOOKEM MEP

Mike Hookem MEP is fighting for veterans and holding the Government to account

Tony Hayes from Veterans Association UK said: "The Government is really letting veterans down here. Many don't develop mental problems until years after their service has ended, by which time they're no longer eligible for Government help. This needs to change."

The DCLG also used the phrase "just 3 per cent of people seen sleeping rough in London are UK nationals with a history of service in the armed forces".

Research based on conversations with Crisis, Shelter and Soldiers Off The Streets shows roughly 7,000 veterans are homeless across the UK, but all three charities said it was "impossible" to know for sure because so many others will be sofa surfing or won't admit they are in the forces.

Mike Hookem, MEP for Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire, which has the largest number of military recruits in Britain, said: "The Government are living in dream land if they believe they are doing enough to help veterans.

"The current system is failing and the sooner the Government wake up to that fact and fulfil the promises they make to veterans under the Armed Forces Covenant; the better.

"So far the Homes for Heroes campaign has highlighted a vast number of cases where the current legislation is failing miserably; whether it be accessing physical and psychological care; getting priority and help with housing; or simply getting veterans help with making the adjustment to civilian life.

"And I'm sorry to say, this is only the tip of the iceberg.

"The simple fact which the Government response chooses to ignore is that the rules are often simply not implemented; not understood; or blatantly ignored by frontline service providers.

"And time and again we see the buck being passed from one organisation to another, with no legal repercussions for any of the organisations failing to honour the commitments they made by signing the terms of the Covenant.

"This must stop! It is time the Government woke up to the situation and gave veterans the help and care they deserve."